And it's the last one that inspires this post for a group build. Marengo was an Arab grey (white to the uninitiated). Not the only horse he rode. We know about thirty of them including a beautiful Limousin.

But Marengo's the one.

Design a Napoleonic figure based on the David painting (look it up, I can't be bothered Google: Marengo, horse, David)) but this time the important thing is get the horse right. It's an Arab, a small Arab. Bonaparte was a crap rider and liked quiet small horses (the painting is wrong by the way. Napoleon would have been thrown off very easily).

He could be fitted into the Eureka range or any of the early armies up to Austerlitz (after which Bonaparte gets a horse called - Austerlitz). Design it to fit in to any early French Napoleonic army. I don't care if it's 15 or 28mm or I'd prefer the larger.

The essence of this is that we should think about a design range for the horse and not the rider personality. Old Nosey, Fred, the Corsican troublemaker are all well-enough known and acknowledged. They're not the issue.

Whenever the Light Horse is mentioned I get all sentimental. I would like to see a stand alone Waler,no rider just the horse. Sort of Monarch of the Glen,a memorial for all those horses that that lost their lives on campaign and for the ones who survived the campaign and still lost their lives. A tragedy.
This is about the 4th time I've attempted this subject,finally got it out.I like cavalry in my wargame armies,nevertheless the Light Horse holds a peculiar resonance with me. All those years with Daisy (a pony) and Hunter (well a hunter of course) I suppose....................

The idea would be to do both horse and rider which effectively makes them independent of any particular range (other than size/scale restriction) - a mini-diorama that could be used for display or for play.

When I said the emphasis would be on the steed I was trying to emphasise that there is a heap of work available on the riders which makes them relatively easy. The research and design emphasis would be on the accuracy of the horses.

And whether they are shown mounted, dismounted, led or tethered is a design decision.

Last edited by starkadder on Thu May 07, 2009 6:53 pm, edited 1 time in total.

The idea would be to do both horse and rider which effectively makes them independent of any particular range (other than size/scale restriction) - efefectively a mini-diorama that could be used for display or for play.

When I said the emphasis would be on the steed I was trying to emphaises that there is a heap of work available on the riders which makes them relatively easy. The research and design emphasis would be on the accuracy of the horses.

And whether they are shown mounted, dismounted, led or tethered is a design decision.

I like the idea Starkadder,accurate horses for a change.Just had to vent.

With respect, my dear clerical friend, it all depends on how you do it.

While Belisarius may be too heroic in these straitened financial times, a 28mm Napoleon on Marengo or Old Nosey on Copenhagen is a very different proposition. Much more commercial. Just the thing to round off an army. You won't be a millionaire but you won't lose on it.

Similarly Lee on Traveller for our American cousins.

Perhaps Incitatus might like a disgruntled Roman senator with his mount? Why not fake it and get Caligula with Incitatus for an early Imperial Roman. Inaccurate but amusing.

And why restrict ourselves to horses? The Maharajah awaits his howdah.